


Slytherin and All

by elenawrites



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Marauders' Era, Slytherin Lily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 06:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7606474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elenawrites/pseuds/elenawrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James faces the fact that he's falling for a Slytherin. Written for a prompt from Anonymous on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slytherin and All

“Gentlemen, we have news,” said Sirius, shutting the door of the dormitory dramatically. “Our James Potter, arguably the most Gryffindor-ish Gryffindor to ever exist, has fallen for a _Slytherin.”_  

James groaned, falling back on his bed. “Oh god, stop saying it like that.”

Sirius smiled. “It’s only the truth. Why don’t you explain it all for Moony and Wormtail here like you did for me.”

James sighed loudly. “Alright.”

“Oh, but Prongs? Maybe skip the hysterics this time.”

James whacked him with a pillow before he began speaking.

-

Earlier that week, James had caught himself staring at Lily Evans’ hair during potions.

He’d tried to convince himself it was nothing- just the fact that class was dull and she sat in front of him and her red hair stood out against the dark of her robes. 

James didn’t know Evans very well. She was in Slytherin, for one, which automatically ruled out almost every form of civil contact they might’ve had, and she was always hanging out with Snivellus, which only confirmed they’d never interacted. That was all he knew- Slytherin and Snivellus.

And that she had soft-looking red hair that continued to catch his eye for the rest of potions.

-

The following day, Evans had laughed.

Apparently Snivellus had muttered a particularly funny joke, and while Evans laughed and Sirius scoffed, James gripped his quill tighter and tried not to smile as they took notes on their next lesson.

Evans had a nice laugh, that was all. Strong and warm. You could practically hear her grinning.

James couldn’t help but be drawn to happy people. So now James couldn’t help but be drawn to Evans.

-

That night, James was alone in the library searching through a pile of potions textbooks for the notes he’d taken earlier. Instead of focusing on the last half of the lecture, James had passed a piece of parchment back and forth with Sirius and Peter, planning their next prank. Remus, the only responsible one in the group, refused to let James copy his notes on the pretense that he should’ve been paying attention in the first place.

Which, James had to admit, was sort of right.

Bleary eyed and yawning, he almost regretted not doing the work properly in class, but when he remembered their prank, it was worth it. 

Eyes cast down at his unfinished notes on the table, he reached for a book to his left, only to find himself bumping into a smaller, paler hand stretching for the same book.

“Oh. Sorry,” said a soft voice, and James was suddenly very awake and aware of his mess of hair and rumpled shirt.

The voice belonged to Evans.

“Don’t- don’t worry about it,” James said, pulling the book off the shelf and handing it to the girl. 

“Thanks.” She smiled, this time _directly at him,_ and James could feel his face heat up. He tried to smile back, a little nervous laughter escaping.

“You’re, um, Evans, right?” he said, trying to lean casually on the table.

“Lily. And you’re James.” It wasn’t a question.

James stumbled over his words. “What? Oh, yes, James is me. I’m James. Um.” His face turned red; he could feel it. “Yeah.”

Lily looked like she was trying not to laugh, but it didn’t seem mean. “Nice to meet you, James. Wasn’t it you who snuck those cats into McGonagall’s office? That was wonderful. You’ve got quite a reputation, really, even Slytherin talks about it sometimes.”

Miraculously, James kept his mouth from falling open. She knew about him. She knew about the pranks; she _admired_ them. 

_Even Slytherin talks about it sometimes._

_Oh, Merlin,_ thought James. Since that first day in potions, he’d forgotten Lily was a Slytherin.

He’d also forgotten Lily was waiting for him to speak.

“I, yes, that was me, actually. Thanks,” he ran a hand through his hair and grinned, heart hammering when she grinned back.

“You’re welcome,” she said, gathering her things. “Goodnight, James.”

“G-goodnight,” he said as she walked away, bag slung over her shoulder and red hair glinting in the lamplight.

_Slytherin! Why does she have to be a Slytherin?_

It was not until he reached the portrait hole that he realized he’d never finished his potions notes.

-

“And that,” Sirius broke in, “is when he came blubbering to me.”

“I did not blubber,” James said, hitting Sirius again with his pillow. “I was tired and very rightfully panicking.”

Peter sat cross-legged and wide-eyed on his own bed. “Wow. You think she fancies you at all?”

James through up his arms. “I dunno, but anyway, she’s a Slytherin! I can’t date a Slytherin!”

Sirius dropped his joking act for a moment. “Well, if you like her that much, and she doesn’t hate you, I say it’s worth a shot. My brother’s a Slytherin and he used to be a pretty decent bloke until Mother Dearest got to him.”

James sighed. “I suppose. Remus? What do you think?”

Remus was lying on top of his sheets, eyes half shut. “For once Sirius isn’t talking out of his arse-” “Hey!” “-and I agree. Go for it, mate. I think you’ve got a chance.”

“Slytherin and all?”

“Slytherin and all.”

So it was decided. James was going to act like a polite, perfectly normal teenage boy and ask Lily out. And if they were wrong, and she rejected him? Well, James figured he’d deal with it, plain and simple. If he could survive three days in the hospital wing smelling like dungbombs after an unfortunate mishap with Filch, he could survive rejection.

-

Two weeks later, James learned he needn’t have worried at all. Apparently Lily had found him quite cute, “Gryffindor and all.”

Her words, not James’.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated! Thanks for reading!


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